Kvyat raced for Red Bull for just over a year, with the Russian having replaced four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel in 2015.

He went on to finish ahead of team-mate at the time Daniel Ricciardo in the Drivers’ Championship, before being replaced by reigning World Champion Max Verstappen just five rounds into the 2016 season.

Kvyat was demoted back to Toro Rosso (known now as AlphaTauri) whom he raced for in 2014, with Verstappen having gone the other way.

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Despite having claimed a podium in one of the opening rounds of the 2016 season, Kvyat was demoted due to causing too many incidents, with Vettel in particular having often criticised the driver who replaced him.

As a result of being demoted, Kvyat was left incredibly unhappy with the Austrians, after feeling like they dumped him after he helped the side navigate through “their sh*ttiest times”.

“From Toro Rosso to Red Bull, not easy of course,” Kvyat told the Track Limits podcast.

“It’s a different F1 team, the top and the midfield has a different mentality. Also very difficult times for the team. Everyone was very stressed. It was the opposite of now, now they have a dominant car at the time it was one of their worst cars.

“Christian [Horner] wasn’t happy. Helmut [Marko] wasn’t wasn’t happy. So they were difficult times at Red Bull.

“So to basically help them get through their sh*ttiest times and then they get rid of you… But whatever, it was still a great chapter.

“I saw how a top team works. The pressure is different there. Everything at stake is different and the politics are also very strong.”

Kvyat ultimately never performed at a great level again, with him having remained with the Faenza-based team until the end of 2020.

He was also dropped for the 2018 season before returning in 2019.

The Russian also discussed what it was like working alongside Marko, who is known for being ruthless at times.

READ: Oscar Piastri issues warning ahead of 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Whilst he remains on good terms with the 79-year-old, Kvyat admits he “felt a bit betrayed” by Marko after his Red Bull exit, with that switch having somewhat been the beginning of the end for Kvyat in F1.

“He’s a big boss. He can be tough. I appreciate always his honesty. Sometimes, of course, I felt a bit betrayed by him,” Kvyat admitted.

“But, you know life happens. It’s normal. In the end it’s also business, you know? Relationship is good, still to this day, and no big issues [now].”

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Verstappen has made an exceptional start to the 2023 F1 season and is the comfortable favourite to win a third consecutive title, something which would see him join the likes of Niki Lauda and Ayrton Senna as a three-time World Champion.

The two-time World Champion has claimed two wins from the opening three races this season, whilst he finished second at the only race he hasn’t won.

As a result of his strong start to the season, he leads the championship by 15 points ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a race he won 12 months ago.

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To highlight Verstappen’s dominance since the new aerodynamic regulations were introduced, the 25-year-old has won 17 of the last 25 races, meaning he’s won 68-percent of the races since the new regs were introduced.

With this in mind, Kvyat believes the Dutchman deserves “credit” but that he is “beatable”, if the “conditions” are right.

“Of course, you have to give him credit,” Kvyat told the Track Limits podcast.

“He’s been doing an amazing job. Very strong. Wheel-to-wheel also very strong, probably the strongest wheel-to-wheel.

“But I think everyone’s beatable, for sure, in certain conditions and the team has given him everything he needs, everything he wants.”

With Red Bull’s 2022 and 2023 cars having been the strongest since the new regs, Kvyat believes several drivers would be able to win races if they had a car as strong as the Austrians.

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Kvyat, who hasn’t raced in F1 since 2020, believes “the car makes a big difference still”, something perhaps proven by Mercedes’ struggles since their didn’t have the best car on the grid.

“I think there are at least 12 to 15 guys who could be definitely race winners, maybe 10 World Champions and the car makes a big difference still,” Kvyat added.

“But I think a lot of strong guys have strong personalities and everyone is quite different, but everyone is able to be winning. Maybe except a couple of guys, but let’s not go there!”

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When Kvyat joined Red Bull in 2015, Ricciardo was seen as the team’s number 1 driver, having outperformed Sebastian Vettel during the previous season.

“Daniel Ricciardo at the time was like a big superstar, and when I came into the team, he just beat Vettel so there was a lot of hype around him in the team and everywhere,” Kvyat told the podcast.  

“So everyone was like, ‘yeah, he’s the man to beat now. He’s probably the best driver on the grid right now.’

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“There was a lot of rivalry between us, of course. The beginning was like he was taking things easy, then when he saw that, okay, I have pace. 

“Then [he] started also to stay in [the] motorhome until midnight like me and we were both there sitting, engineers were gone already and we were still there studying the data seeing who would go home later.  

“But no, I rate him very good. I think those cars, they suited him up perfectly also at the time, had good understanding of tyres. Those tyres were a bit different, they were very fragile.  

“He’s been a very strong rival, I think pushing me to the limit.”

While Kvyat had respect for his teammate’s performance on the racetrack, the partnership with Ricciardo would not last long, as the Russian was dropped by Red Bull a few races into the 2016 campaign in favour of Max Verstappen.

While Kvyat would leave the grid at the end of the 2020 season, Verstappen has gone on to have a successful partnership with Red Bull, securing two Drivers’ Championships. 

READ: ‘Shaking up’: Ex-team boss insists Lewis Hamilton should join Ferrari

In the years since he left Formula 1, Kvyat has raced in the FIA World Endurance Championship and NASCAR.

Having raced for Toro Rosso, Red Bull and AlphaTauri, Kvyat could be set for his return to single-seater racing, having participated in a test behind the wheel of NIO 333’s Formula E car.

Alongside Kvyat’s test in Berlin, other drivers who tried out a series of cars included Jack Aitken with Envision and Zane Mahoney with Andretti.

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Kvyat and Verstappen have never raced for the same team together, despite the duo having initially been set to be team-mates in 2015.

Kvyat and Verstappen were supposed to be in Toro Rosso (known now as AlphaTauri) together in 2015, the season that the Dutchman made his F1 debut.

Following Sebastian Vettel’s move from Red Bull to Ferrari, though, Kvyat was instead promoted to the Milton Keynes-based side, where he partnered Daniel Ricciardo.

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Kvyat finished ahead of Ricciardo in the 2015 Drivers’ Championship and went on to claim a podium in the opening rounds of the 2016 season, at the Chinese Grand Prix.

However, after causing multiple collisions, Kvyat was demoted back to Toro Rosso from the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix onwards, with Verstappen having taken his place.

Verstappen went on to win on his Red Bull debut.

Since making his Red Bull debut in 2016, the 25-year-old has gone on to claim two world titles, whilst Kvyat hasn’t appeared on the F1 grid since 2020.

The pair do still have an interesting connection, though, with Verstappen dating Kvyat’s ex-girlfriend, Kelly Piquet.

Piquet and Kvyat also have a daughter together, who is often seen with Verstappen when he streams his virtual racing.

Kvyat has discussed his mindset when Red Bull promoted Verstappen into F1, with the Dutchman having very much been viewed as the “next big star”.

For Kvyat, Verstappen was simply the guy “I had to beat” back in 2015; however, he openly admits now that the Dutch driver is “doing an amazing job”.

“Everyone [that] Red Bull brings is the next big star, it’s always been the case,” Kvyat told the ‘Track Limits’ podcast.

READ: Helmut Marko says he’s confused by Frederic Vasseur as he comments on Mercedes upgrades

“At the time we were supposed to be teammates, I think, so for me he was just the next guy I had to beat and that’s all.

“There was already a bit of rivalry but then I got promotion to Red Bull Racing, so unfortunately that didn’t happen but it would [have been] interesting. Of course, you have to give him credit. He’s been doing an amazing job. Very strong.

“Wheel-to-wheel also very strong, probably the strongest wheel-to-wheel. But I think everyone’s beatable, for sure, in certain conditions and the team has given him everything he needs, everything he wants.”

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Kvyat spent just over a season racing for Red Bull alongside Ricciardo, with the Russian driver having been promoted from Toro Rosso (known now as AlphaTauri) to Red Bull in 2015 to replace Sebastian Vettel, who moved to Ferrari.

Whilst Kvyat was awarded the nickname the ‘Torpedo’, the Russian performed well in his first full season at Red Bull, to the extent where he finished above Ricciardo in the Drivers’ Championship.

Considering Ricciardo finished above Vettel in 2014, that was actually quite a big deal for Kvyat; however, things unravelled quickly in the opening rounds of 2016.

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Whilst he claimed a podium at the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix, Kvyat was dropped by Red Bull for Max Verstappen at the Spanish Grand Prix that season, after Kvyat caused too many collisions.

Being demoted back to Toro Rosso was somewhat the beginning of the end of his F1 career, given that he never managed to get back into a leading team.

Ricciardo on the other hand, remains a “big superstar” despite not even being on the grid this season, with him having remained as a popular character the last few seasons despite underperforming at midfield teams.

Kvyat recalls being told that Ricciardo was “the best driver on the grid” when he was promoted to Red Bull, with it certainly having been a big challenge for the Russian.

“Daniel Ricciardo at the time was like a big superstar, and when I came into the team, he just beat Vettel so there was a lot of hype around him in the team and everywhere,” Kvyat told the ‘Track Limits’ podcast.

“So, everyone was like, ‘Yeah, he’s the man to beat now. He’s probably the best driver on the grid right now’.”

READ: Red Bull claim Charles Leclerc can breach his Ferrari contract and join Mercedes in 2024

Kvyat went on to discuss Ricciardo’s immense popularity which he’s built since he entered the paddock for the first time, whilst joking that his bubbly nature is a “bit too much for me”.

“On top of his racing ability, Ricciardo has been a huge personality since he first entered the paddock in 2010 and is very popular amongst fans,” added Kvyat.

“My impression of him was he was the man at the time, very funny personality so very attractive for media – bit too much for me – but no, we got along well.”

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The ex-F1 driver who last appeared in F1 for AlphaTauri in 2020, has stated that the only way to beat the mighty Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez is to “copy” the RB19, with Red Bull having won every race so far this season.

Verstappen has claimed two victories whilst Perez has won one, all of which have come very comfortably.

As if that wasn’t enough, Red Bull have started every race on pole, with most expecting it to happen once again next weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

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Red Bull have won the last two races at the Baku City Circuit, with their straight-line speed advantage likely meaning they’ll be at the front again this year.

With the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari set to introduce big upgrades once the championship enters the European rounds, the gap between them and Red Bull will hopefully decrease; however, Kvyat is confident that the Milton Keynes-based team have “everything they need” to remain comfortably at the front.

“But now people understood that the only way to beat them is to copy their car… Finally. It’s as simple as that,” Kvyat said on the Track Limits podcast.

“I think they definitely this year [will stay dominant], maybe next year finally people will catch up, but this year still looks way ahead of everyone.

“Maybe towards the end of the year with development people will be able to get closer, but I still think yeah, they are obviously dominating, also Honda, the engine has been great, and they have everything they need.”

READ: Ex-Ferrari boss calls Charles Leclerc ‘naïve’ for Carlos Sainz expectation

With that in mind, Kvyat doesn’t see the remaining 20 rounds this season being exciting, with the exception of Azerbaijan which always throws up and exciting race.

“It’s going to be boring!” admitted Kvyat.

“But the next one maybe will be interesting, when Mercedes and Ferrari will step up the game, understand what pieces to copy. Then it will be probably more interesting.”

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The pair nearly made contact at Turn 1 when Kvyat shot up the inside of the Ferrari in an attempt to get past Vettel.

Forced to attempt to take avoiding action, Vettel launched into a furious tirade on the team radio after he made contact with then-teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

“Contact, I had no chance to avoid – I had the Red Bull coming up the inside like a mad man and I hit Kimi,” Vettel said at the time.

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While frustrating for the German, both Vettel and Kvyat would go on to finish on the podium.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg won the race, with Vettel in second and Kvyat in third, leading to a tense scene in the cooldown room before the podium ceremony.

“You came like a torpedo!” Vettel said.

 “I was racing”, Kvyat responded.

“Yeah, racing, but if I keep going the same line, we’ll crash,” Vettel continued.

“But we didn’t crash,” Kvyat explained. 

“Yeah, you didn’t…” Vettel concluded.

Although almost seven years ago, Kvyat appears unwilling to let the row die, discussing the incident on the Track Limits podcast.

“At that time, I didn’t think much of it, to be honest – because it didn’t mean much to me,” Kvyat said when asked about the nickname.

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“Of course, the people, they are really easy to pick up [on trends], we had a discussion I think in the podium room.”

But when asked about what he would nickname Vettel in response, he replied with a smile: “A professional screamer or something like that, I don’t know…

“He likes to scream a lot on the radio, I think. Of course he is calmer [now] but when things were high stakes, he was screaming a lot!”

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Kvyat has certainly been amongst the headlines over the past few days, with the Russian driver having revealed how close he came to actually joining Ferrari for the 2017 F1 season.

Kvyat’s F1 career is ultimately remembered for him having been replaced by Max Verstappen at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, with the duo having switched positions.

Verstappen took Kvyat’s spot at Red Bull after just four rounds of the 2016 season, whilst Kvyat took the Dutchman’s seat at Toro Rosso (known now as AlphaTauri).

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That moment was somewhat the beginning of the end for Kvyat in F1, with the Russian having never returned to a frontrunning team.

He ultimately left F1 at the end of 2020, although, he was Alpine’s reserve driver for 2021.

His F1 career could’ve panned out so differently had he not remained loyal to Red Bull, with Kvyat having recently shared that Ferrari approached him in 2016 about replacing Kimi Raikkonen at Maranello.

“I was doing really well and had another podium in China,” Kvyat told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“At that time I also had an offer from Ferrari to replace Kimi – that was going on behind the scenes,” he said. “So mentally it was very difficult when I suddenly had to go back to Toro Rosso.”

In hindsight, accepting the move would’ve perhaps saved his F1 career; however, he ultimately became a midfield driver again once he returned to the Red Bull sister team.

Things are starting to look up for the 28-year-old now, though, with him set to be a Lamborghini driver in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) next year, whilst he’s spending this year in the WEC racing for Prema.

Kvyat has done well to obtain an Italian racing licence following the conflict in Eastern Europe, which made racing outside of Russia very difficult for him last year.

By getting hold of an Italian racing license, Kvyat can compete freely again, something which the vast majority of Russian drivers have been unable to do.

Kvyat remains hopeful that the conflict will end soon and that things can return to normal; however, he does believe the “sport should unite” in regard to letting impacted drivers compete.

“In that way I do not stop hoping for the best – that calm times will come again soon,” Kvyat said.

“I have always said that sport should unite. That’s my opinion. But I grew up in Italy so we decided that I will race with an Italian license and under the Italian flag.

“This is how everything will be for me now,” Kvyat added.

Given his links to Ferrari, Kvyat has shared his views on what is letting the Maranello-based team down currently, with the side sitting fourth in the Constructors’ Championship as things stand.

Kvyat believes Ferrari have missed a trick that Red Bull and Aston Martin have made the most of, by hiring engineers from other teams.

READ: Red Bull lining up replacement for Sergio Perez

“I thought it would go differently for them, given the good car they had in 2022,” said Kvyat.

“Given the way it is, I would say that it will be difficult for them to bounce back in the short term. Ferrari needs a technical revolution.

“The team has a new boss, but perhaps they should have hired engineers from other teams. They should have done exactly what Red Bull did with Mercedes or Aston Martin did with Red Bull.”

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Despite having claimed a podium at the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix, Red Bull made the sudden decision to demote Kvyat back to Toro Rosso (known now as AlphaTauri), with Verstappen having been promoted into the Austrian side.

Kvyat was demoted due to poor results and incidents, with Sebastian Vettel having given the Russian driver the nickname “the Torpedo”.

Verstappen, of course, actually won his maiden race for Red Bull in Spain, with history having proven that it was the correct decision by the Milton Keynes-based team.

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“I felt really betrayed at that moment,” Kvyat told the Track Limits podcast.

“It was a stab in the back and that’s life, you get stabbed in the back sometimes you know, it’s normal.

“Now it’s the past. I have another good career in racing so part of me of course is very thankful to Red Bull. The other part of me is still very unhappy with it.”

Kvyat made the initial switch from Toro Rosso to Red Bull in 2015 after Vettel moved to Ferrari, with the Russian having actually finished ahead of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in the Drivers’ Championship.

After he was demoted back to the Faenza-based team, Kvyat continued to underperform, with him having been dropped in 2018, before he was brought back into the team for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

2020 was his last F1 season to-date, with him now competing in the World Endurance Championship for Prema Racing.

Kvyat is also set to take part in next Monday’s Formula E Rookie Test in Berlin, where he’ll be driving for NIO 333 Racing.

Staggeringly, everything could be so different for the Russian, had he accepted a shock move to Ferrari before he was dropped by Red Bull.

Kvyat was supposedly offered a seat at Ferrari after he claimed a podium at the 2016 Chinese GP, with the Italians having wanted him to replace Kimi Raikkonen.

READ: Fernando Alonso snubs Lewis Hamilton yet again

The 28-year-old ultimately rejected the move after wanting to remain at Red Bull, something which perhaps he may look back on with regret.

“I was performing really well,” Kvyat said. “And I just scored another podium for the team [at the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix] and then at the time I had also a proposal to race for Ferrari to replace Kimi. That was going on behind the curtain.

“So it was a very difficult situation also for me mentally to go back from being wanted by Ferrari and having seen the contract and then you go back to Toro Rosso suddenly and then you’re like, it’s not going very well suddenly.”

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Kvyat broke onto the F1 scene at Toro Rosso (known now as AlphaTauri) in 2014, before being promoted to the main Red Bull team in 2015 after four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel decided to join Ferrari.

His first season at Red Bull was a solid one, with the Russian having finished in the points at 14/19 races, whilst he also claimed a podium.

To further add to what was a great start to life at Red Bull, Kvyat finished above team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in the Drivers’ Championship.

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2016 didn’t start brilliantly, though, with him having been heavily criticised by Vettel, with the Russian having been nicknamed ‘the Torpedo’ by the German.

Whilst he did claim a podium at the Chinese Grand Prix that, he was replaced at the fifth round of the season in Spain, with Red Bull having switched Kvyat and a certain Max Verstappen.

Verstappen, of course, went on to win his first race for the Milton Keynes-based team, whilst Kvyat remained back at the sister team until he was replaced with six races to go in 2017 by Pierre Gasly.

Kvyat was brought back into the Faenza-based team for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, before being replaced once and for all.

Verstappen replacing the Russian was certainly the start of 28-year-old’s demise in F1, something which hurt Kvyat given he supposedly rejected a seat at Ferrari.

Kvyat recently revealed that Ferrari approached him in the opening rounds of 2016 to offer him a move to Maranello, to replace Kimi Raikkonen.

Not long after rejecting the switch, he was demoted to Toro Rosso.

READ: Sergio Perez receives a public apology

“I was performing really well,” Kvyat told the Track Limits podcast.

“And I just scored another podium for the team [at the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix] and then at the time I had also a proposal to race for Ferrari to replace Kimi. That was going on behind the curtain.

“So it was a very difficult situation also for me mentally to go back from being wanted by Ferrari and having seen the contract and then you go back to Toro Rosso suddenly and then you’re like, it’s not going very well suddenly.”

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